Car-coupling.



No. 704,489. Patented July 8, I902.

J. B. THOMAS.

CAR COUPLING.

(Application filed Oct. 23, 1901.)

(No Model.)

4 v fl- .24 I l J 26 I i Z5 5 z/ z 1' :50 y 2 GHOZMIJ NlTED STATES JAMES BRYANT THOMAS,

PATENT OFFrcE.

OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N 0. 704,489, dated July 8, 1902. Original application filed March 8, 1901, Serial No. 50,384. Divided and this application filed October 23, 1901. Serial To ttZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES BRYANT THOMAS, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car- Oouplings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to car-couplers, and more particularly to that class of couplings known as the Janney type of automatic coupler, having special reference to novel means for effectually protecting the wearingsurface of the knuckle.

It is well understood in the art that the knuckle of an automatic Janney type of carcoupler is subjected to great wear, especially upon the inner face of its coupling-arm, and very frequently entirely new knuckles have to be fitted to the draw-head in place of the worn-out knuckle.

The present invention has in view improved means for obviating the objections stated to the ordinary knuckles, said means serving to protect the part of the knuckles subjected to the greatest wear, so that the body of the knuckle will be preserved intact as a permanent part of the coupling, thus serving a twofold purpose-namely, to reduce the perishable part of a knuckle to a point where it can be renewed for a small part of the original cost of an entire knuckle and to facilitate the interchange with all coupling-knuckles.

W'ith these and many other objects in view, which will more readily appear as the nature of theinvention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fullydescribed,illustrated, and claimed.

The essential features of the invention involvedin themeansfor protectingthe knuckle are necessarily susceptible to considerable modification without departing fromthe spirit or scope of the invention; but the preferred embodiment of the improvement is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a horizontal sectional view of a car-coupling embodying the improvements contemplated by the present invention. Fig. 2 is a detail in perspective of the knuckle disconnected from the draw-head and with the protective hood therefor removed. Fig.

knuckle.

(No model.)

3 is a detail in perspective of the hood for the Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1, showing more fully the mounting of the protective hood upon the engaging nose of the coupling-arm of the knuckle.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In carrying out the invention no special change is required in the general shape or form of the draw-head designated by the reference-numeral 1 of the drawings, said drawhead being provided with the usual mouth 2 for receiving the knuckle 3 of the companion or opposite head, said head also having at one side of the mouth the bifurcated supporting or pivot arm 4 for the knuckle and at the opposite side of the mouth the laterally-extending inclined guide or guide-arm 5, adapted to engage with the knuckle side of a companion head to draw the two heads into a coupling position in the manner Well understood by those familiar with the art.

In the drawings the knuckle 3 is of the usual elbow formation, the same being pivotally mounted upon the knuckle-pin 24: within the bifurcated or supporting pivot-arm 4 and consisting of the locking-arm 25 and the coupling-arm 26. The locking-arm 25 is de signed to cooperate with the latch 27, pivotally mounted Within the draw-head and operated by any suitable mechanism; but as no claim is made herein to any special form of latch nor to the means for operating the same the horizon tally-swinging type of hooklatch shown in the drawings is simply disclosed for illustrative purposes. To provide for adapting the protecting means to the engaging portion of the coupling-arm 26 of the knuckle, such couplingarm is preferably formed with a flattened nose 28, having the flat side faces 29 and 30, respectively, upon the inner and outer sides thereof. At the inner edge of the outer flat-faced surface the coupling-arm 26 is formed with a transverse shoulder 31, extending transversely across the entire width thereof, and at the upper and lower edges thereof, in rear of what is properly the nose 28, the said coupling-arm 26 is provided with offset angular abutments or knuckle.

lugs 32 of an approximate V shape. The elements described are complementary to corresponding matching elements of the detachable and renewable protective hood 33, adapted to fit over the nose 28 of the knuckle and protect both the inner and outer faces thereof fromwear.

The protective hood 33 is of an approximate U -shape formation, so as to preserve the usual shape and form of the coupling-arm of the Said hood essentially consists of a bifurcated cap comprising the opposite spaced inner and outer cheek-plates 34: and 35, respectively, and the upper and lower end pieces 36, connecting the upper and lower ends of the said cheek-plates and provided at their inner edges with the angular engaging notches 37, adapted to have a registering interlocking fit with the angular abutments or lugs 32 at the top and bottom of the coupling-arm. The inner cheek-plate 34: is sufficiently wide to entirely cover the inner face of the coupling-arm 36 and receives the main wear to which the knuckle is subjected, and the outer cheek-plate 35 is of a narrower width than the inner plate, but registers flush within the seat produced at the outer side of the knuckle by the outer fiat face 30 and the transverse shoulder 31, said transverse shoulder and the edge of the cheek-plate 35 fitting the same being preferably beveled to insure the flush-fitting mounting of the hood over the nose of the coupling-arm. The protective hood is thus made in all substantial respects a rigid and intimate part of the coupling-arm and is held thereon by means of a i'asleningkey 38 or equivalent fastening, which can be readily removed and replaced. When the protective hood wears out,the same is simply replaced by a new one without affecting the remainder of the knuckle in any particular.

While the protective hood is specially useful in the particular construction of car-coupling described, it will of course be understood that the same is necessarily applicable to knuckles of any form of car-coupling employing a coupling-knuckle.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction, operation, and many ad vantages of the herein-described car-couplin g improvement will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art Without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a car-coupling, the knuckle, and aprotective cap-like wear-hood of an approximate U shape, and removably fitted over and hous-' ing therein the coupling-nose of the knuckle.

2. In a car-couplin g, the knuckle, and a protective cap-like wear-hood, removably fitted over the nose of the knuckle, said hood having separate cheek portions, respectively facing the inner and outer sides of the knucklenose.

3. Inacar-coupling, theknuckle, anda protective cap-like wear-hood removably fitted over and housing therein the coupling-nose of the knuckle, said hood being of an approximate U shape in cross-section and having inner and outer cheek members, and the coupling-nose and hood having flush-fitting and interlocking elements at the upper and lower sides of the knuckle.

4:. In a car-coupling, the knuckle having its coupling-arm formed with flat side faces, a transverse shoulder on the outer side thereof, and offset angular abutments or lugs at the top and bottom edges, and a protective wearhood of an approximate U shape, the same comprising opposite inner and outer cheekplates, and upper and lower end pieces connecting said cheek-plates, and provided with angular engaging notches having a registering interlocking fit with said abutments or lugs, and fastening means for detachably holding the hood on the knuckle.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses. 1

JAMES BRYANT THOMAS.

Witnesses:

J. L. LA PRILLE, L. J. MORAND. 

